Instinct
by jordan parrish
Summary: *Sequel to Behind Pretty Eyes* Things had been quiet in Beacon Hills for six months, long enough for Joey to fool herself into thinking she and the people she loved were safe. But all good things must come to an end, and with the return of an old friend, Joey's not the only one questioning who to trust. The pack is coming apart and so is she. Will she fight? Or will she break?
1. Nothing Lasts Forever

_"Don't underestimate the allure of darkness._  
 _Even the purest hearts are drawn to it."_

 **INSTINCT**

* * *

 _Dear Chris,_

 _I miss you._

 _I start every letter the same, but it's because I do. A lot._

 _The past six months haven't been the same without you, not after I had just gotten you back. Yes, it's been that long since we last saw each other, but it's okay because I'm doing well, just like you knew I would be. As well as can be expected, anyway._

 _I decided to take your advice and embrace my "inner huntress" as Derek liked to call it. I practice once a week with different weapons in different scenarios, but my best weapon is still a bow and arrow. I'm a near perfect shot now, and I know if you were here, you'd say Allison would be proud of me – at least, that's what Scott keeps telling me._

 _Speaking of the true alpha, I know I promised I'd keep him out of trouble, but that's easier said than done. Especially since he and Stiles are parents now – to my boyfriend. Yeah, Liam and I finally made it official. And yeah, I'm still getting used to it. So are Scott and Stiles. Especially Stiles. He almost ran the jeep off the road when I first told him. Liam and I couldn't even go out for ice cream without him or Scott chaperoning from a table away._

 _It's weird to think they'll be leaving for college in a year. They won't stop talking about it. In fact, all they've done all summer is make plans. I'm happy for them, I am, but I don't know what I'm going to do without them around. My greatest fear is losing them, and sometimes, I wish they wouldn't go. Is that selfish of me, Chris? To want them to stay with me?_

 _Just like you, they're my family, and I'll miss them when they're gone, just like I miss you._

 _Please, come home soon._

 _Love,_

 _Joey._

I sighed as I folded up the letter and slid it into the envelope resting on my lap. I'd been writing to Chris ever since he left with the Calaveras, once every month. I'd originally tried to call him, but all I got was an automated message, telling me his number was no longer in service, so I decided to send letters to the Calaveras "headquarters" instead. Braeden had been kind enough to text me the address.

Chris wrote back to me every time, filling me in on his progress with tracking down Kate and reassuring me he'd return to Beacon Hills soon, but I still had my doubts. It's been half a year _—_ the longest he'd ever been away _—_ and I was beginning to think he just wasn't going to come back at all.

Taking my feet down from the jeep's center console, I leaned forward in the backseat and retrieved my purse from the floor, tucking the letter safely inside to mail later tonight. I figured I'd drop by the post office while Scott and Stiles went to their top secret senior scribe (Scott was still a terrible liar).

I peered out the windshield at them, watching Stiles chatter on as his eyes darted over the map he had spread out in front of him. Scott was staring up at the sky, specifically at the moon, and I had to wonder what he was thinking about.

Carefully, I pushed my way out of the jeep, clutching Stiles' gray hoodie tighter around my shoulders as the cold night air hit me full force. I was only wearing a thin white off the shoulder top and a pair of denim shorts since it had been significantly warmer during the day.

Thunder rumbled warningly from above me, and I wearily let my eyes wander to the sky, where I could see storm clouds move across the full moon. It was clear it was going to rain, but Scott and Stiles didn't seem too concerned about the weather.

I released a shaky breath and ran a hand through my waves _—_ my hair had grown out over the past six months, nearly reaching my waist now _—_ before I walked over to stand beside Stiles.

"We could try Nob Hill, but the jeep would probably burn through a lot of clutches," he was saying as I approached.

"You're bringing the jeep?" I asked, raising an amused eyebrow as a fond smile pulled at my lips.

Stiles looked at me with a blank expression, like he couldn't believe I was even asking him that. "You both know the plan, 'kay?" He glanced between me and Scott. "No one gets left behind _—_ that's the plan," he said with conviction. "Lydia's not going to have a problem getting into Stanford—neither will Joey when the time comes—Kira's thinking USF, Malia's, uh, gonna, you know, she's going to figure something out, okay? The plan is perfect."

"Or we could wait until we actually get into college and then figure out where to live," Scott suggested.

"I have a vision, dude, okay," Stiles began, exasperated. "And it is a beautiful vision— _don't ruin the vision_." Scott and I shared an amused glance as Stiles turned his attention back to the map to resume his apartment hunting. "Okay, we can, uh, we can check out the East Bay," he continued, but Scott had returned his gaze to the moon, a distant look on his face. "We haven't looked at Oakland yet, you know."

Stiles tore his eyes from the map then, noticing Scott had withdrawn from the conversation, and we all looked up at the moon, surrounded by dark clouds and flashes of lightning.

"Are you starting to feel it?" I asked worriedly, turning my gaze on my brother.

Scott vaguely shook his head. "No, just thinking," he said softly.

"About what?" Stiles questioned, setting his red marker down.

"Senior year," Scott answered, glancing over at us.

I leaned my side against the jeep, prepared to listen.

"Senior year," Stiles repeated. "Come on, that's—that's nothing. That's going to be easy."

"It's more like something Deaton told me once," Scott said, shifting his position on the hood to sit a bit straighter. "You ever hear of regression to the mean?"

"No, I don't think so," Stiles responded, while I simply shook my head.

I remembered Scott once mentioning something to me, but it had been after Allison's death, and I could barely recall anything that happened the first couple weeks after her passing. I had shut myself down back then.

"It's basically his way of saying that life can't ever be all bad or all good. You know, things eventually have to come back to the middle," Scott explained and I nodded as he looked over at us, understanding what he was saying. "So, think about the last few months. Things have been, good, right? But not amazing."

"Yeah, but, no one's tried to kill us in six months either," Stiles pointed out.

"Right." Scott agreed. "We've been pretty much in the middle for a while. Which means at some point, the scale has to tip one way or the other. Things are going to get really good again . . ."

"Or really bad," I finished in a whisper, my gaze falling to the ground. The past few months _had_ been good, and I wasn't ready for that to change yet, but I knew nothing could last forever. I knew it was only a matter of time before our lives would be thrown into danger again, and although we all came out together the last few times, I didn't know how much more we could take before we broke.

The sky thundered above us and I looked up at it once more as lightning flashed, illuminating our faces.

"Do you think it's been long enough?" Stiles questioned after a moment, exchanging a pondering look with Scott.

"Yes!" a voice called out and we all turned to look at Liam, who was chained against a tree a few feet away.

I sighed as I stared at him. I had been completely against the idea, but as usual, I didn't really get a say when it came to werewolf business—even if that werewolf was my boyfriend. Actually, that may be the reason why my lanky friend had wanted to chain him up in the first place.

"Hey, trying to have an adult conversation over here," Stiles called back to him, ignoring the look I gave him for that remark.

"Alright, you're two years older than me," Liam reminded him. "And I'm fine. Just let me go."

Scott slid off the hood of the jeep and we all began to walk over to the tree Liam was chained to. I had been trusted with the keys—making me feel a little better about the situation—and I quickly dug them out of my shorts pocket as we neared him.

"It's not that we don't trust you," I began apologetically.

"It's that I don't trust you," Stiles cut in.

I shook my head at him and started to mess with the chains, searching for the lock.

"But after that last full moon . . ." Scott trailed off, and I cringed as I thought back to that night. It hadn't been Liam's finest moment.

"It was _one_ slip up," Liam defended himself.

"Slip up?" Stiles echoed dubiously. "A dozen calls to the Sheriff's Department about a monstrous dog-boy running around the streets of Beacon Hills naked. That's a slip up?"

"Why were you naked?" Scott questioned as an afterthought, making me freeze as I shared a glance with Liam, both of our cheeks beginning to burn.

I quickly averted my eyes back to the chains, relief flooding through me when I finally spotted the lock.

"It was really hot out that night, okay?" Liam said sheepishly as I began to untangle the chains. Stiles had really done a phenomenal job. He should've just chained Jackson to a tree two years ago instead of keeping him in a stolen prison transport van. It probably would have saved us a lot of trouble.

"Are you sure you're okay?" I heard Scott ask as I circled around the trunk.

"It won't happen again," Liam promised him.

"You're in complete and total control?" my brother pressed.

"Yeah," Liam assured after a moment of hesitation. "Complete and total."

Scott nodded in acceptance of his answer and gestured for me to let the rest of the chains go. They dropped to the forest floor and Stiles quickly shoved them into the bag he kept them in before he and Scott headed back to the jeep.

I started to follow them, but stopped when I realized Liam was still lingering by the tree, staring down at his hands.

There was something wrong. I knew him well enough now to know that, but I also knew I couldn't push him.

This was Liam. He would talk when he was ready.

Hopefully.

* * *

"Is it a party?" Liam guessed, sitting forward so he was in between the two front seats, much to Stiles' displeasure. He'd been trying to figure out what Scott and Stiles were doing later tonight for the last ten minutes.

I, content and surprisingly relaxed during a full moon, sat beside Liam and stared out the window at the passing trees as the jeep sped down the wooded road. Scott seemed to block out their conversation entirely, his eyebrows furrowed slightly as he concentrated on his phone.

"It is not a party," Stiles told Liam in a clipped tone.

"What's a midnight?"

"Your bedtime."

I bit my lip to hold back a laugh as Liam pressed for a better answer. "Why aren't the girls going?"

"They're meeting us there, okay, and just stop asking questions, alright?" Stiles said impatiently, glancing back at us through the rearview mirror. "It's a senior thing. You'll know when you're a senior."

I was beginning to feel a little guilty that I knew and he didn't, but Stiles had threatened to use his chains on _me_ if I were to say anything. Apparently, this was something he took very seriously.

Thankfully, Liam seemed to let it drop, letting out a dissatisfied sigh as he sat back, his shoulder brushing against mine. I looked over at him and he pouted dramatically, jutting his bottom lip out. My lips lifted into an amused smile and he let the act go, smirking back at me as he managed to wrap an arm around my shoulder in the tight space we were in.

"Hey, not in my jeep," Stiles protested.

Both Liam and I sighed in exasperation, but before either of us could retaliate with a smart remark, Scott spoke up.

"Are you guys having trouble with your phones?" he asked.

Drawing my eyebrows together in confusion, I moved to reach for my purse to retrieve my phone, but the jeep began to splutter before I could dig the device out. I dropped my Michael Kors bag—a gift from Lydia, she'd had quite the influence on my style over the past year—back to the floor as we slowed down.

"What the hell?" Stiles muttered as his car rolled to a stop, the headlights flickering once before going out completely.

"Are you out of gas?" Liam wondered, not used to Stiles' jeep acting up.

Stiles let out an annoyed sigh, frustrated with his car. "No, it's electrical," he said as he unbuckled his seatbelt. "Probably the alternator again."

He shared a knowing look with my brother and they both pushed out of the car, slamming the doors behind them. I watched with faint concern as they walked around to the front of the jeep and popped the hood, obscuring them from my line of sight.

With a sigh, I sat back in my seat and ran a hand through my hair, trying to keep my nerves at bay. Something about this night just felt . . . off.

And it didn't help that I couldn't stop worrying over what Scott had said about regression to the mean. How long did we have before the scale tipped?

"Hey," Liam murmured, tucking a curl behind my ear. "What's wrong?"

He let his hand rest against my cheek, absentmindedly brushing his thumb across my skin. "Nothing." I turned to him, flashing him a tight-lipped smile. "It's just been a long night."

I knew he wasn't convinced, but he didn't press the subject. Instead, he simply hummed in acceptance of my answer, gently tracing down my neck and bare shoulder with the tips of his fingers, his eyes following the path he made. I shivered at the sensation, my pulse beginning to accelerate and my breaths coming out a little less even. The touch was innocent, but Scott and Stiles barely left us alone together for five minutes, _if_ we were lucky, and the lack of affection between me and Liam over the past few weeks was effecting me more than I thought it ever could.

Liam looked up at me then, no doubt able to hear my heart pounding, his lips pulling into a cocky smirk.

He loved the effect he had on me.

Before he could tease, I cupped his face in my hands and hungrily pressed my lips against his, not caring that my brother and his best friend were standing just outside. Liam was surprised, I could tell—I rarely ever initiated these things—but he recovered quickly and kissed me back with the same amount of fervor.

He pushed his hands into my long hair and I moved mine to his shoulders as he gently tugged at my bottom lip with his teeth. I let out a soft whimper and pulled him closer by the collar of his jacket, deciding to ignore the flush of warmth I felt on my cheeks.

Just as I was about to be uncharacteristically bold and hook a leg over him, lightning flashed from behind us, effectively breaking Liam and I apart as we both turned to look out the back window in bewilderment. I felt a little dazed, and it took me a moment to come back to reality, realizing I'd just acted like a crazed, hormonal teenager.

My cheeks burned with a renewed intensity, but my embarrassment was quickly replaced by fear as a bright bolt of lightning struck the ground right behind the jeep, making both me and Liam jump. We turned to each other with wide eyes.

I'd never seen lightning that close before and I hoped I never would again.

"Scott!"

"Guys!"

"Yeah, give us a second please," Stiles responded to our shouts, sounding none too unconcerned.

"Guys, stay in the car, okay?" my brother added.

Like I said, they've turned into parents.

I let out a girlish yelp as another strike of lightning touched down in front of the jeep, dangerously close to where Scott and Stiles were standing. As if we weren't already on edge enough, the jeep chose that moment to rumble back to life, startling all four of us.

Liam and I shared another worried look before he climbed into the front to stick his head out the window.

"Can we go now?"

 **x**

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** It's been 84 years . . . BUT SERIOUSLY.

HOLY SHIT GUYS I'M BACK. JOEY IS BACK. LIAM IS BACK. IT'S A GLORIOUS DAY.

This literally came out of nowhere though. I was just reading back through BPE and I remembered how much I loved writing for Joey and reading all your reviews again just inspired me to write. I honestly thought I would have this published months ago, but I just got so caught up in life that I didn't really have time to plan where I wanted to take the story. BUT THAT'S ALL CHANGED.

SO FIRST, some things you guys want to see in this sequel:

1\. More of Brett and Brett/Joey interaction. Believe me, there's going to be lots of it. Some of you want them to be really close friends and some of you want something more to happen. At this point, I know what I want to do with them, I'm just hoping you guys enjoy it.

2\. More overprotective Stiles and more Stiles/Joey/brother/sister dynamic. Their relationship is going to grow much stronger in this story and it's actually going to cause a strain between Joey and Scott. Overall, Joey's going to find herself being very, very torn in several of her relationships with different members of the pack.

3\. A lot of people would like Joey to finally embrace her "inner huntress" and kind of take Allison's place as the hunter in the pack. You all really seem to like when she's badass haha. Not to worry, you WILL see more of her doing just that.

4\. Hayden. To be honest, I haven't made a decision on her yet. I sort of have, but I'm open to suggestions. Some of you want her and Joey to be friends, but not have her come in between Joey's relationship with Liam, while some of you want Joey to just replace Hayden completely. However, I'm not going to do that just because Joey has always been her own character with her own conflicts. She's not going to follow Hayden's story line, she's going to have her own issues.

Overall, season 5a is all about the pack falling apart. They're keeping secrets from each other, going their separate ways, disagreeing on whether to trust Theo or not trust Theo. Many of you want Jiam to be indestructible, but sadly, they are not. Every relationship has its problems. Like I mentioned before, Joey's going to struggle emotionally. She's going to be torn and her relationships with different pack members are going to suffer because of it.

With that said, WELCOME BACK BABIES. LET'S DO THIS THING.


	2. Creatures of the Night

**CHAPTER 2:  
** _creatures of the night_

* * *

Stiles floored the accelerator, well on his way to receiving his eighteenth speeding ticket. We were headed into town to pick up Malia, and since the jeep breaking down had put us "behind schedule" as Stiles put it, he was driving a little faster than he normally would—but just a little.

I had seen him put the pedal to the metal many times — more times than I'd like to admit — since he'd received the jeep for his sixteenth birthday, but every time was just as scary as the last, especially with a looming storm thundering outside. I held onto my seatbelt with a death grip as the jeep swayed this way and that down the windy backroads leading away from the preserve, tossing me, Liam, and Scott around like a sack of potatoes.

We reached downtown Beacon Hills in record time and I slowly released my seatbelt once I spotted Malia and her father standing near a fallen tree a short distance away. Stiles obnoxiously honked the horn as we blew past them, parking the jeep haphazardly on the side of the road.

"Sorry we're late!" Stiles called as he leaned out the window.

Malia hurried up to the side of the jeep, not seeming to care that we weren't on time, and slammed her lips against Stiles' before he could even greet her properly. Stiles let out a pleased moan into their prolonged kiss and I wrinkled my nose in disgust, meeting Scott's amused expression.

"Okay, _ew_ ," I said decisively, crossing my arms and ignoring Scott's growing smile.

I vaguely wondered if that's how Stiles felt whenever I kissed Liam. _Not that we've done much of that_ , I thought bitterly as they broke apart.

"Maybe we should be late more often," Liam muttered and I had to stifle a giggle as Stiles shot us a flat look.

"You boys do remember I own a gun, right?" Mr. Tate questioned.

"Vividly," Stiles said.

Mr. Tate nodded, pleased with Stiles' answer, and shot Malia a teasing wink before he left.

Although Mr. Tate still had the ability to scare the crap out of me — no matter how many times I'd eaten dinner at Malia's house — I had to admire how far he'd come. He was no longer the broken man he used to be, mourning the death of his family. He had really gotten himself together; let go of all his anger and stopped drinking so much in order to provide Malia with the care she deserved. I would always admire and respect him for that.

As I watched him get into his car and drive away, I couldn't help but think of Chris and my own father, uncertain either would ever come back for me.

"Jo, scoot over," Stiles said, bringing me out of my thoughts.

"What? Scoot where?" I asked as I gestured to the space between me and Liam. My one shoulder was crushed up against the side of the jeep and the other was glued to Liam's. "Stiles, you are aware this jeep isn't quite designed to hold more than four people, right?"

It wasn't really even designed to hold four people, if I was being honest.

Stiles' expression faltered a bit, like he hadn't even taken that into consideration.

"I have an idea," Liam spoke, a small smirk tugging at his lips. I looked at him, my eyebrows drawing together in confusion, but before I could ask what he meant, I felt his arm slip around my waist. "Come here, Jo," he murmured suggestively, his other arm going underneath my knees. I let out some form of a surprised squeak as Liam pulled me into his lap.

"Wha—hey, no," Stiles squawked in protest.

Liam's smirk lifted into a lazy grin as he spread his legs a bit wider to position me more comfortably on top of him. I was thankful it was so dark in the jeep because I was sure my cheeks were blazing.

"Liam," Scott warned, casting him a half-hearted look of disapproval.

"Really?" Stiles stared at my brother. "That's all you got?" Scott shrugged and Stiles turned his attention back to us. "I'm not okay with this," he stated, eyebrows quirking up. "I'm so not okay with this. Liam, keep your dirty little hands to your dirty little self, got that? Remember, I see everything." He tapped the rearview mirror for emphasis.

"Stiles." Malia gave him a sugary sweet smile once he faced her, but the unspoken threat in her eyes was clear as day. "Shut up and let me in."

"Yeah, okay," he conceded wisely, clumsily scrambling his way out of the jeep. I smiled as Malia shook her head at him and folded down his seat, climbing into the back beside me and Liam.

Once Malia was settled, Stiles hopped back into the driver's seat, slamming the door behind him.

Simultaneously, we all turned our gazes on the werecoyote.

"What?" Malia asked in exasperation.

"Did you find out yet?" Stiles asked expectantly.

I immediately knew what he was referring to, and as I glanced over at Malia, I could tell she didn't want to discuss it right now.

Liam, oblivious to the tension, split a curious look between me and Malia. "Find out what?"

"They're going to email me," Malia said, as if Liam hadn't spoken.

"Is this about summer school?" he interjected once more and my eyes went wide.

Malia shot me an accusatory look. "You told him?" she questioned, the hurt evident in her tone.

"Of course not," I said without hesitation, my expression sincere. My brown eyes darted to the front seat. "Stiles did."

"Joey!" Stiles exclaimed, offended I'd so easily thrown him under the bus. I flashed him an innocent smile as Malia turned on him, waiting for an explanation. "I . . . well—"

"All they said was that you had to go to summer school because the principal said your test scores weren't good enough and you might have to repeat junior year," Liam said like it was no big deal.

I winced.

Malia sighed angrily and crossed her arms, turning toward the window.

Stiles stared at Liam for a moment, probably contemplating whether or not to strangle him before he faced my brother. "Should've left him chained to the tree."

I couldn't help but agree just a _little_ bit.

* * *

I sat in one of the hard plastic chairs attached to the wall in the surgical wing of the hospital, one leg crossed over the other and my purse resting in my lap. Scott was hovering silently beside me, his eyes glued to his phone, still attempting to get in touch with Kira.

It was a strange feeling to be in the hospital again — I'd avoided it as much as possible over the summer — and I was trying not to let my mind wander back to all the dangerous situations I'd experienced here over the years. I thought about Liam instead, how he'd been dangling off the roof and Scott saved his life with a bite to the arm. It was crazy to realize how far we'd all come since then.

I snapped out of my thoughts the moment I saw Liam come around the corner.

"Well?" I asked expectantly as I stood up, shouldering my purse as Scott pocketed his phone.

"My dad's helping out in surgery," he confirmed what I had already suspected. "The nurse said he's not going to be done for hours." Scott nodded as he began to head toward the elevator, Liam and I trailing close behind. A gurney was wheeled by as we turned the corner, and I hesitated to look at the bloodied woman, momentarily thrown by the sight. The hospital hadn't been this chaotic in a while and it'd been a long time since I'd seen so many injured people. "So I'm either hanging out here," I heard Liam say as I caught up with him and my brother. "Or I could still go with you guys."

We stopped as we reached the elevator and Scott hit the button before he slowly turned to Liam.

"Show us your hands," Scott said.

I looked over at Liam with furrowed eyebrows and a frown as he glanced over his shoulder before sheepishly pulling his hands from his pockets. I barely held back a gasp at the sight of Liam's bloodied hands. It took me all of three seconds to realize he'd dug his claws into his palms in order to stay in control, a technique I wished I had never witnessed Scott use before.

"Okay, so I'm still having trouble," Liam admitted.

I shook my head, trying to ignore the sting I felt behind my eyes. The sudden rush of emotions surprised me, but I hated that Liam had been hurting himself. "No," I argued softly, resting a hand on his shoulder. "You're still learning, Liam."

"What do you do to stay focused on not changing?" Scott questioned. Liam's eyes flickered to me and I glanced over at my brother with a blush before quickly looking down at the linoleum floor. Scott rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "What _else_?"

Liam tugged on the headphones dangling from the collar of his shirt. "But it's not working."

"It's working enough," Scott assured him. "Listen, Derek told me you were one of the strongest he'd ever seen at your age."

"And that means a lot coming from him," I added.

"Maybe that means things are going to be harder for you for a while," Scott continued as the elevator dinged. He backed into it and placed his hand on the door to keep it open. "But it also means something else, doesn't it?"

"I'm . . . really strong?" Liam guessed, uncertain.

"Hell yeah," Scott said with a grin. His gaze then flickered to me. "Jo, you still want a ride home?"

I glanced at Liam discreetly before I met my brother's eyes once more. "No," I said. "I think I'll stay with Liam."

Scott nodded in understanding and withdrew his hand from the elevator, casting us one last smile as the doors closed.

After a moment, Liam turned to me. "Hungry?"

"Always," I said.

A small smile spread across Liam's face and I felt myself return it as we headed down the hallway and went right, where there was a vending machine. I stood off to the side and leaned against the wall with my arms folded, watching as Liam slipped sixty cents worth of change into the coin slot. I noticed the machine looked newer than I remembered and then realized the hospital probably replaced the old one Stiles had knocked over. I bit back a giggle at the memory of his face when it had crashed to the floor.

Liam pushed the button for a Twix, and as I caught sight of the blood stained on his hand, I suddenly didn't feel so giggly anymore.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked as he reached down to grab the chocolate.

Liam hesitated for a moment, visibly caught off guard by my question, before he straightened up with a defeated sigh. "I-I was embarrassed," he confessed, not quite able to hold my gaze. "After eight full moons, I'm still struggling with control. I didn't want to disappoint you."

I resisted the urge to swoon, knowing it would only embarrass him further, but Liam was the sweetest guy I'd met by far and he was constantly surprising me with his many emotional layers. "Liam," I began, gesturing toward a pair of nearby chairs. "You didn't disappoint me," I continued after we were seated. "I just wish you would've said something. We're all here to help, but we can't do that if you don't tell us there's a problem."

"I know," he said quietly. He reached for my hand, nervously brushing his thumb across my knuckles. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," I assured him, my lips tugging up at the corners. "I don't want you to ever feel like you have to hide anything from me. I want us to always be honest with each other, Liam."

"What if I don't get better? What if I never learn how to stay in control?" Liam asked abruptly, eyes flickering to the wall on the other side of the hall. "What if—I mean, what if you realize this— _us_ —isn't what you want?"

"Liam." I rested a hand on his cheek and gently turned his face toward me. "After everything we've been through, nothing could possibly scare me away. Nothing could change how I feel about you," I promised, lightly touching my forehead to his. "Besides, you seem pretty in control right now."

Liam smirked. "That's because I'm with you. You're so much better than music."

As I began to smile, he tilted his head slightly and leaned in to kiss me. His lips pressed against mine eagerly, and as much as I was enjoying it, we _were_ still in public.

I pulled away, but didn't stray far as Liam reached up to tenderly tuck a lock of hair behind my ear.

"I love you, Joey," he breathed.

I tensed; the way I always did whenever he said those three little words.

The first time had been when all of us took a trip up to the lake for the Fourth of July to watch fireworks. Liam and I had slipped away from the rest near the end of the show, heading up to higher ground. We eventually stumbled across a cliff that offered a panoramic view of the lake. I had been telling some crazy story — I couldn't even really remember what exactly it was about — and Liam had listened earnestly to every word, staring at me like I hung the moon.

Liam had told me a lot about himself that night, after the fireworks ended and we had grown more somber. He admitted he didn't like to talk about his real father, or his family in general really, and I more than understood, but he talked about it anyway. He didn't say much, but it was more than enough for me. He said I was one of the most important people in his life and he cared about me more than he ever cared about anything.

And then he said it.

 _I love you, Joey. I have for a long time._

He'd told me a couple times since then, but I never said it back.

I didn't say it back and I didn't know why, because I _did_ love him. I'd been in love with him since we went to Mexico to rescue Scott six months ago, but I just couldn't bring myself to say it.

"Liam, I—"

"Joey, it's okay," Liam laughed softly, pulling back from me. "I know you're not ready. I just like to remind you."

"It's not that I don't feel the same way," I started. "I do, I just . . ."

"You don't have to explain yourself to me," Liam dismissed. "When you're ready to, you'll say it."

I was both baffled and grateful by how understanding he was. It was in situations like this that I realized just how much he'd grown over the last six months. Instead of trying to put how I felt into words — because literally _everyone_ knew I wasn't good at that when it came to Liam — I kissed him softly, hoping to convey I was lucky to have him.

Our lips had barely touched for more than three seconds when I felt Liam go rigid. He abruptly pulled away from me and turned his head slightly to the side, eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

"Liam, what's wrong?" I asked, worried his sudden shift in behavior was because of the full moon. "Are you okay?"

"Something's not right," he said as he stood up, looking down the hallway.

Before I could question him further, Liam pulled me up from my seat and started dragging me down the corridor. We turned down several halls before Liam slowed to a stop outside of the morgue, gesturing for me to stay quiet. I realized he must have been using his enhanced hearing to listen to something. Curious, I took a step in front of him and peered through the small window in the door. I was surprised to see my mom, Stiles' dad, and Deputy Parrish standing around one of the tables.

"What's going on, Liam?" I whispered, turning to him.

He looked anxious, and he hesitated before he answered me, like he was contemplating whether or not he wanted me to know. "Scott's in danger," he relented.

"What?" I asked as I felt my blood run cold. This couldn't be happening already.

"I don't have time to explain, Joey. I-I need to get to the high school," he rushed out.

"I'm coming with you," I stated.

"Joey—" Liam tried to argue, but stopped himself when I pulled a handheld crossbow from my purse. I placed a hand on my hip and raised a challenging eyebrow. "Okay. Let's go."

I smiled.

Wise decision.

* * *

"I still can't believe you carry that around in your purse like its lipstick or something," Liam said to me as we jogged across school grounds.

The high school wasn't that far from the hospital, but I had convinced Liam that taking a bus would be faster than running — we'd been dropped off after a mere five minutes — and besides, it was raining; like, a torrential downpour with thunder and lightning. Liam and I were both drenched the moment we'd stepped off the bus, hair dripping with water and clothes stuck fast to our bodies.

I wasn't happy that my hair was ruined, my purse was soaked, and my white top was probably see through at this point, but I was more worried about Scott than myself at the moment.

"I do have a lipstick that doubles as a laser," I said matter-of-factly. Liam looked over at me with an incredulous expression, but I didn't acknowledge him as I pointed up ahead of us. "Look, there's the jeep. Stiles has to be close by."

We jogged past the jeep and hurried to get underneath the covered area of the school, but stopped short once we spotted Stiles and Malia, kissing a few feet away from us.

" _Ew_ ," I said automatically. I felt like I'd reversed roles with Stiles. This was definitely how he felt when he used walk in on me and Liam.

"Found them," Liam stated the obvious before he took off in their direction.

 _Shoot_. "Liam, wait," I tried to warn as I ran after him.

I wasn't quick enough.

Malia turned and slammed Liam to the ground faster than I could blink, a hand placed firmly on his chest as he winced in pain.

"Oh my God," Stiles and I chorused. Stiles looked at me, his eyes then flickering to the small crossbow in my hand. "Okay, _what_ is that?"

I shook my head. "Forget the crossbow, we have to go."

"Crossbow—what's going on, Joey?" Stiles asked, bewildered.

"Scott's in trouble," Liam panted from the ground.

Stiles glanced from Liam to Malia before he settled his gaze on me once more.

"We need to hurry," I stated.

Malia immediately backed off of Liam and I quickly helped him to his feet before we all took off together. Liam led the way with Malia close behind, followed by me and Stiles. My brown combat boots splashed beneath me as we ran across the courtyard and down two flights of stairs toward the tunnel that overlooked the lacrosse field — the same spot where I had accidentally stumbled across Derek and Jennifer kissing.

The memory was pushed to the back of my mind as I rushed through the small waterfall running off the roof of the tunnel. I slid to a stop, gasping as I watched a tall werewolf covered in a black liquid grab Scott by the throat and mercilessly shove his claws into his chest. Off to the side, Kira and an unfamiliar werewolf were slowly pushing up from the ground.

Liam and Malia snarled, baring their teeth, while Stiles reached for my hand. His grip was tight and I knew he was just as scared as I was.

I watched helplessly, tears beginning to build behind my eyes as the hulking werewolf growled, asserting his dominance over Scott as he fell to his knees, his eyes fading from red to brown.

"Scott!" I cried. I made to run toward him, but Stiles held me back.

I couldn't just stand there. I couldn't just do _nothing_ while the life was being drained out of my brother.

Before I really thought about what I was doing, I raised my crossbow and pulled the trigger.

The arrow flew into the werewolf's leg, right above the knee, and he howled in pain, his grip on Scott loosening just the slightest bit. Scott looked over at me in surprise, and after I gave a faint nod of encouragement, he turned back to the unknown werewolf, his eyes blazing red once more.

Scott stared up at the werewolf with a look that was absolutely feral as he slowly stood from the ground. He growled menacingly and twisted the man's arm with a snap, the sound echoing throughout the tunnel. The werewolf fell the ground, clutching at his freshly broken limb as Scott ripped the claws from his chest and carelessly tossed them away from him. As they bounced against the damp ground, I noticed they were much longer than any other claws I'd seen before.

"I don't know who you are, or what you thought you were going to do, but I'll give you a choice," Scott spoke, his voice threateningly low. "You can stay and I'll break something else . . . or you can run."

The werewolf stared up at Scott for a moment before he turned his gaze on us.

"I'd run," Stiles advised.

Scott's attacker did as he was told, still holding his arm as he stood up and lumbered in the opposite direction, vanishing out into the stormy night.

I swallowed in an attempt to ease the dryness in my throat and released a shaky breath as we all gravitated toward each other. All I really wanted to do was throw my arms around my brother and never let go, but I had to resist the urge as the other werewolf — the boy — approached us. We all stared at him with careful expressions, cautious of a stranger.

He was attractive — but I had yet to meet a werewolf who wasn't — and something about him seemed familiar, I just couldn't place where I'd seen him before.

He walked forward with a lazy grin. "You don't remember me, do you?" he asked. Scott and I exchanged a glance before looking back to him, clueless. "I guess I look a little different since the fourth grade."

The pieces suddenly fit together in my mind. I _did_ remember him.

Recognition flashed in Scott's eyes. "Theo?" he asked, slightly bewildered.

Theo's lips edged into a crooked grin and I felt my head start to spin.

"You know him?" Malia questioned.

"They used to," Theo answered. Stiles and I shared a meaningful look. "Trust me, I never thought I'd see you guys again. A couple months ago I heard of an Alpha in Beacon Hills. When I found out his name was Scott McCall . . ." Theo trailed off and shook his head, the beginning of a smile still on his lips. "I just couldn't believe it. Not just an Alpha, but a _True_ Alpha."

"What do you want?" Scott asked, genuinely curious.

"I came back to Beacon Hills, back home with my family," Theo began. "Because I want to be a part of your pack."

Nobody moved and nobody said a word. The rain continued to pour around us, pounding against the ground. I glanced at Stiles once before I made eye contact with Liam, who was wearing the same weary expression I was.

I didn't know where things would go from here, but I couldn't ignore the gut feeling telling me something very bad was going to happen.

 **x**

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Okay, so a lot of stuff happened in this chapter, a lot of information to take in. I know y'all _love_ the cute Liam and Joey moments, so enjoy 'em while you can, folks. In other news, WELCOME TO THE STORY, MR. RAEKEN. It's time to get this thing rolling and I'm literally bursting with excitement to head into the later episodes.

As always, I want to thank everyone for the positive feedback and all the reviews on JUST the first chapter. You guys are all so wonderfully amazing and I'm so happy to be writing for Josephine again. This story is going to be such a wild ride and I can't wait for all of you to read it!

What do you guys think is going to happen next? What will Joey think of Hayden? Is she going to side with Scott and accept "golden boy" Theo, or will she side with Stiles and not trust him?

Let me know your thoughts and I'll be sure to have the next chapter up ASAP! :)


	3. Goodbye, Alana

**CHAPTER 3:**  
 _goodbye, alana_

* * *

An arrow hitting its mark clean had become one of my favorite sounds.

I focused my mind and took a steadying breath as I pulled back on the string of my bow once more. "Nous protégeons ceux qui ne peuvent pas se protéger eux-mêmes," I whispered, my eyes sharp and trained ahead of me. After a moment, I released my grip, letting the arrow soar through the woods and right into the target I'd made with Allison so long ago.

I lowered my bow with a smile, satisfied with my skills as I looked at the cluster of arrows I'd shot.

I hadn't trained much at all over the past few weeks, I hadn't felt the need to — there hadn't been any danger, everyone I loved was safe — but I couldn't seem to shake off what happened last night. It woke me from the false sense of security I'd been living in for the past six months without a care, and now, the fear that it could and most likely _would_ happen again was beginning to haunt me.

I hated being afraid more than anything. I hated the constant feeling of fear and hopelessness that crept up inside me every time a new supernatural threat came along. I'd been naïve to believe, even for a second, that I could live a normal life.

I considered the fact that maybe I was being overly cautious too soon, but I'd learned a long time ago that it was better to be safe than sorry.

Rays of sunlight streamed through the canopies of trees overhead and I squinted slightly as I glanced down at the watch wrapped around my wrist.

 _Shoot_.

It was nearly seven. Scott would be up soon.

I brushed some dark strands of hair behind my ear that had fallen from my ponytail and reached down to grab my backpack from the forest floor. I headed over to the tree where the target was hanging and pulled each of the arrows out, hastily shoving them into the bag.

Deciding I'd come back for the target later, I jogged back to the edge of the woods where I'd parked Allison's black Camry. Chris had generously given it to me once I earned my license back in July, and while having a car I or my family didn't have to pay for was extremely nice, I was much happier about feeling connected to Allison.

The leaves crunched beneath my sneakers as I reached the Toyota and popped the trunk, throwing in my backpack and locking my bow in the case.

I quickly started up the engine after climbing inside and sped off toward town. I made it home in record time, leaving everything in the car except my phone and keys. The house was quiet; Mom had an early shift this morning and I hoped Scott was still asleep.

I set my keys on the table in the foyer and then took the stairs two at a time, wrinkling my nose as I unzipped my sweaty jacket.

I really needed a shower.

My door was left slightly ajar and I pushed into my bedroom, gasping and stopping short at the sight of Scott standing in front of my bed, cleaned up and dressed for the first day of school. His arms were crossed and an expression of admonishment pulled his usually soft features into a hard look of disapproval.

"Where have you been?" he asked, but said it in a way that told me he knew exactly what I'd been doing.

"I went for a run," I answered simply, brushing past him to toss my jacket in the hamper.

Scott raised a skeptical eyebrow at me, turning so he could still face me. "For two hours?"

"Okay," I conceded, too exhausted to play this game so early. I plopped down on the edge of my bed with a defeated sigh as Scott continued to stare me down. "I did more than just run."

"Joey," Scott began softly, dropping the big brother act.

"Don't," I interrupted. "Please, Scott, I don't need to hear another _everything's going to be okay_ speech because everything is not okay."

"Joey," he repeated, firm this time.

"Someone tried to _kill_ you last night," I emphasized, trying to get him to understand the seriousness of the situation.

"I know," he responded gently before coming to sit beside me. "What happened last night _wasn't_ okay, but we can't just drop everything and put our lives on hold every time something like that happens."

I looked at him in disbelief. Did his own life hold so little value to him? "That's exactly what we do, Scott," I told him.

"No, Joey, we have to live our lives—go to school, do homework, try and _actually_ have some fun," he said with a small smile. I didn't return it, I couldn't bring myself to, and Scott frowned. "I'm sorry, Joey. I'm sorry you've lost so many people."

"I still have you," I said quietly.

Scott gave a grim smile and put an arm around my shoulders. I gladly leaned into him, taking comfort in him just like I always did. "We're family, Jo," he said quietly. "Nothing is ever going to come between us." I nodded in understanding, feeling more at ease, and Scott released me, standing up from the bed. "I'm going to head to the animal clinic for a bit before school, are you going to be okay here?"

"I'll be fine," I answered with a little curve of my lips, beginning to slide off my hunting glove.

Scott nodded and started to head out, but paused in my doorway. "Hey, Jo," he said softly and I glanced up at him with raised eyebrows. "I don't care if you're training, but I don't want you to feel like you have to keeps things from me and I don't want you to push yourself too hard, alright?"

"Okay," I agreed solemnly, seeing the concern in his eyes.

Scott lingered for a moment longer before he disappeared around the corner.

I pulled my ponytail from my hair and ran a hand through the tangles as I stood up, wandering into my bathroom to start the shower. I had just begun to peel off my sticky shirt when my phone started ringing.

With an exasperated huff, I let my shirt fall and headed back into my bedroom to grab my phone.

I glanced at the screen and then slid my thumb across the answer button. "Hey, Stiles, what's up?" I greeted.

"Hey, I'm going to drop by the station before school—see if my dad can do some digging on Theo Raeken," his voice crackled through the speaker. "Do you want to come? I'm like, two minutes from your house."

"Stiles, don't you think we should be worrying about other things, like that creature that tried to kill Scott last night?" I suggested. "You saw his claws, he wasn't just a werewolf."

"Scott and Deaton are looking into it," he responded dismissively. "Besides, that . . . _thing_ is gone now. Theo Raeken, on the other hand, is very much here and there's something off about him, Jo. Trust me."

"I do, Stiles—with my life," I said seriously. I sighed then, letting my eyes wander to the ceiling as I considered what he said. "Fine, do what you need, but don't get too crazy. Just tell me if you find anything, I have to get ready for school. Liam's going to kill me if I'm late and leave him to handle Mason alone."

Although I couldn't see him, I was positive he was rolling his eyes. "Will do, Miss McCall," he said. "See you at school."

"Yeah, see you," I agreed before ending the call.

I tossed my phone back onto the bed with a light shake of my head before I trekked back into the bathroom.

I was ready within the hour, staring at my reflection in the mirror. I was wearing a lacy, cream colored romper with billowy sleeves and had accessorized with layered silver necklaces. My hair flowed in soft waves down my back and a thin silver headband encrusted with jewels sparkled in my dark locks. My shoes — gray Steve Madden sandals that laced up the front — tied the whole ensemble together perfectly.

I had never really cared much for my appearance in the past, I'd always stuck to simple clothes and wore my hair natural, but I'd changed. I was no longer the girl who wanted to hide from the world, who wanted to blend in and stick to the status quo. I was different now, more confident and not as afraid and I wanted that to show.

I wasn't just tired of hiding from the supernatural. I was tired of hiding from myself.

* * *

Pulling into an empty parking spot, I cut the engine and sat back in my seat, watching the first day chaos from behind the windshield. Everyone looked excited for the new school year, catching up with friends and laughing without a care — without a worry.

My eyes continued to wander, a small of group of girls standing by the stairs catching my attention. I recognized one of them, with long dark brown hair and hazel eyes. Her name was Alana; her mother was a nurse at the hospital with my mom, so I had seen the two of them often over the summer while I was volunteering. Alana was sweet — trusting — and she reminded me a bit of myself.

I gazed at her as she smiled and talked eagerly with her friends, wishing I could be like that again — to be the way I was before I learned of the supernatural.

But I knew that was impossible.

I knew I could never be that innocent girl again — the girl who trusted strangers, who wasn't afraid of the dark, who showed compassion and forgiveness to those who had hurt her — I couldn't, not after all I'd been through.

Scott was right; we had to live our lives. We had to try, at least. I couldn't ignore my faint suspicions about Theo or let go of the fear I felt about the creature that attacked Scott, but I was still alive and that meant I had to _live_ to the best of my ability.

With a deep breath, I pushed out of the car and determinately shut the door behind me, prepared to face the first day of sophomore year.

I felt a tap on my shoulder and I turned with confusion, but lips were pressed firmly against mine before I could say a word. The kiss was lingering, and I relaxed as warm hands found my face, thumbs brushing against my warming cheeks.

Liam pulled away slow, letting his mouth hover over mine. I met his eyes, a little dazed, and his lips curved at the edges. "Hey," he murmured.

"Hi," I replied breathlessly.

Liam gazed at me, his expression turning solemn. "How are you doing?" he asked gently. "After last night, I mean?"

"Don't worry, I'm not going to lose it," I attempted to joke. "At least, not before lunch. It's tacos today."

"Joey." Liam gave me a look of admonishment, lowering his hands from my face.

I sighed and stepped back a little, my eyes falling to the ground as I thought about how to answer him. "I won't say I'm okay, because it wouldn't be the truth," I told him honestly, meeting his gaze once more. "But I'm dealing."

"Good enough for me," Liam said quietly with a small tilt of his mouth.

I tentatively returned his smile before we started to head in the direction of the front entrance. Liam slipped his hand into mine as we walked, an action that seemed just as natural as breathing.

We eventually made it through the masses of zealous students outside and into the building. Liam was telling me about how Jude — one of his closest friends on the lacrosse team — got so inebriated at a party the other night that he did a strip tease on the coffee table of the living room. I listened intently, happy to be talking with Liam about life outside of the supernatural realm. I forgot how much I enjoyed it, listening to his voice and seeing the different expressions on his face as he told a story.

"I can't believe that," I giggled after Liam had said one of the guys on the team videotaped the "show" and sent it to both his parents. "What did they say to him?"

Liam shook his head in amusement, but didn't get the chance to respond.

"Look who it is," a voice interrupted jovially from behind us. Mason wedged himself in between me and Liam, throwing an arm around both of our shoulders. "My favorite couple."

"Mase," I began.

"Don't start," Liam finished with a groan.

"Aw, you even finish each other's sentences," Mason cooed. "So adorable." Liam and I exchanged a mutual look of misery. "Seriously," he continued. "You're like the Brangelina of Beacon Hills."

I frowned. "They broke up," I told him matter-of-factly.

"Right." Mason nodded. "Not a good comparison."

I couldn't help but smile at him — I'd missed him over the last few weeks. I'd avoided him for most of the summer, dodging his calls and making up excuses as to why I couldn't hang out. Liam wanted to be the one to tell him about the supernatural, but he hadn't done it yet because he wasn't sure how to go about it, and I couldn't stand being around Mason while I kept a secret from him he had every right to know about.

"You're in a good mood," I noted as I looked at him. "Did you finally hook up with Brett?"

"Ha ha," Mason said dryly and I grinned. "I wish, but I'm not the one he's into," he stated, his gaze holding mine for a meaningful moment. I drew my eyebrows together in confusion; he'd been making little comments like that a lot recently. There was obviously weight behind his words — and just a hint of accusation — but he jumped into his next subject before I could say anything on the matter. "Check this out." He pulled me and Liam off to the side of the hall, pulling a thick book out of his backpack. "It's called a bestiary."

My eyes went slightly wide as I shared another look with Liam, who shook his head and started walking.

"It's the one I was telling you guys about," Mason said excitedly as he and I followed behind Liam. He kept a quick pace, obviously trying to avoid having another one of these conversations with his best friend. "I got it from a rare book dealer in Germany—cost me two hundred bucks, but it was totally worth it."

I watched as Mason flipped through the pages, his eyes filled with wonder. "You're still reading about this stuff?" I questioned uncomfortably, shooting yet another glance at Liam, who just shook his head once more.

"I was attacked—by an armor-plated _giant_ wearing a bear skull," he reminded me, shoving the book in front of Liam, causing all of us to stop in the middle of the hallway. "It left an impression. Look," he said, pointing to a page he'd marked with a blue tab. A disturbingly detailed sketch of a berserker was drawn on the page and I got goosebumps just looking at it. "Have you ever seen anything like this?"

Liam barely glanced at the book. "Uh—no," he lied, trying a little too hard to seem nonchalant. "Never."

He started to walk again, only to be stopped by another one of Mason's relentless questions.

"And there's this whole section about the Nagual. Have you ever heard of the name Tez—Tezcat . . ."

"Tezcatlipoca," I pronounced without thought, peeking over Mason's shoulder.

I realized my mistake when Liam shot me a look that clearly said _not helping_ , to which I just shrugged sheepishly. "No, never heard of him," he declared, before he turned and headed into the classroom.

Mason sighed and shut the book, looking to me for an explanation I couldn't give to him. I gently touched his arm, urging him into the classroom after Liam. He went begrudgingly, going up the aisle parallel to the one Liam had chosen. I followed after my boyfriend, and when he paused next to a seat, I slid into the one behind it.

"Take your seats, everyone," Mr. Yukimura instructed as the last couple of students filed into the room.

I set my purse on the floor and then looked at Liam expectantly, waiting for him to sit down, but he remained standing, staring at a girl in the desk beside his with a distasteful expression. My eyes flickered to her uncertainly, taking in her dark locks and thin frame. She acknowledged Liam's presence with a similarly sour look before she popped her bubblegum and turned away once more.

"Great," Liam said sarcastically. I frowned as I glanced between the pair for a moment, wondering how they knew each other, and more importantly, why they seemed to harbor such a dislike for the other.

Trying to decipher what was going on, I turned to look at Mason — he most likely knew something I didn't, having known Liam for a longer time — but he wouldn't meet my gaze as he stared at the brunette with wide eyes.

I shifted my gaze back to Liam, noticing he was the only student not in a desk.

"Liam," Mr. Yukimura called out from the front of the class. "You're not going to just stand there, are you?"

Liam took another look at the girl. "Maybe," he answered, before looking around for another seat.

"The whole semester?" Mr. Yukimura asked dubiously, a hint of amusement in his tone.

"Maybe," he repeated with a nod.

"Liam, have a seat," Mr. Yukimura told him, before turning toward the chalkboard to write the day's lesson plan.

Liam made a face, but reluctantly set his books down on top of his desk and lowered himself into the seat.

I shook my head, figuring the ordeal was over, and pulled my notebook from my purse, flipping open to a clean page. I poised my pencil over the paper, prepared to write down notes, and drew my eyebrows together as I noticed Liam squirming in his chair. He continued to fidget uncomfortably for a moment before he lifted himself slightly off the seat and looked down. I leaned forward a bit, following his gaze, and my mouth fell open at the wad of pink gum stuck to his jeans.

Knowing exactly where the gum came from, I immediately looked over at the girl, not being able to shake the faint hostility I felt toward her. She obviously had something against Liam and vice versa, but was sticking gum to his seat really necessary?

Liam glared at her, clearly unamused by what she'd done.

The brunette gave him a sweet smile in response, evidently proud of what she'd accomplished.

I sat back in my chair with a sigh, twirling my pencil around as my eyes wearily flickered between them.

Mason, on the other hand, simply grinned at Liam's predicament.

"Okay," Mr. Yukimura announced, drawing everyone's attention to the front of the classroom. "Welcome to History 103."

Something told me I was in for quite a year.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Okay, so aaaaaaaa lot going on in this chapter. Lots of foreshadowing and set up for drama to come that I am just so excited to write and have you guys read. Also, I'm so sorry it's been so long since I last updated, but college has been _**work**_ and I just haven't had the time to write. However, I got inspired again and banged this chapter out and now here we are, so hooray!

And who's excited for the new season? One word: _**STYDIA**_. Like, all these trailers and that sneak peak is getting me so hyped. I feel like it's going to be really good.

 _Anyway_ let me know what you thought of this chapter and what you think is going to happen in future chapters! I promise I'll have the next one up ASAP. I'm hoping to finish at least 5a before season six starts so updates will be more frequent :) Hopefully y'all won't hate me for what I'm about to put Liam and Joey through.

Peace & love until next time.


	4. Stilinski & McCall Detective Agency

CHAPTER 4:  
 _the stilinski and mccall detective agency_

* * *

Tucked into a window seat in a secluded section of Beacon Hills High School's new library, I tapped my pen against the open journal resting in my lap. The page was blank _—_ the entire thing was blank, actually.

Deaton had given it to me at the beginning of the summer when I was still struggling to recover from what had happened during the school year. He had told me that he kept one and writing down what I felt might help me cope better with my emotions, but I had yet to write anything. I opened it up every day and tried to put what I was feeling into words, but I always just ended up staring down at a blank page.

With a defeated sigh, I closed my journal and glanced down at my watch, checking the time. I'd been sitting up here for almost an hour. My free period was nearly over and I hadn't done anything productive.

Liam had bolted out of history the moment the bell rang, Mason in tow. I'd tried to catch up, but lost them in the sea of students in the hallway. I knew where Liam would go, but by the way he reacted to seeing that girl, I thought maybe I should give him some space to cool down and decided to check out the new library instead.

Figuring I should probably hit my locker before my next class, I packed up my belongings and headed down the stairs to the first floor. It was a short walk from the library to the main building and I hurried up to the second level of the school to switch out my history textbook for my English one before turning back around. I wanted to stop by Liam's locker before class and make sure he wasn't fuming.

Ripping someone's throat out in the middle of the school corridor could be a really problematic situation.

I felt my phone vibrate in the outside pocket of my purse and I went to reach for it just as I rounded a corner. In my mere moment of distraction I managed to bump right into someone.

I looked up, ready to apologize, but the words caught in my throat when I met eyes with the girl from history. "Oh," was all I could say, too surprised to form an intelligent sentence.

The girl smiled. "I don't think we've had the chance to meet. I'm Hayden," she introduced, placing a hand on her hip and shifting her weight to one side. "You must be the girlfriend."

I hesitated before I answered, uncertain of how to act toward her. "Josephine McCall," I responded. "But you can call me Joey."

Hayden nodded, her expression still pleasant. "I'll see you around, Joey," she said before walking off.

I furrowed my eyebrows, slightly confused about what just happened, but quickly shook the thought away as I descended down the stairs beside Liam's locker bay.

My confusion returned when I saw him with his face pressed against the metal door. "Liam?" I questioned as I approached him, the faintest bit amused. "What are you doing?"

"Hating my life," he groaned out.

I smiled and leaned against the locker next to his. "Now you sound like a normal teenager." Liam didn't budge from his position. "So, I met Hayden."

That seemed to get his attention as he stopped brooding and pulled back to look at me. "What? When? What did she say?"

"Nothing about you," I explained and Liam seemed to relax considerably, which only heightened my suspicions about the two of them. "She doesn't seem all that bad."

Liam snorted, turning to open his locker. "You don't know her."

I opened my mouth to respond, but stopped myself when my phone vibrated once more. Seeing as Liam clearly didn't want to talk about Hayden at the moment, I let the subject drop and took out my phone. Two messages from Stiles were floating on the screen and I opened them up as Liam rooted through his locker.

 _Where are you? Do you have a free period?_

 _Talking to Theo Raeken. Come to the locker room ASAP._

Both were sent about fifty minutes ago. There must not be good reception in the library.

I sighed as I locked my phone. "I have to go, but I'll see you later."

"Okay," Liam agreed, leaning over to press his lips against my cheek, a little too close to my mouth to be completely innocent.

I hated myself for blushing and quickly turned to leave my smirking boyfriend.

The locker rooms were just around the corner and I stopped short of the door when Theo Raeken himself stepped out.

"Hey, Joey." He grinned at me and I was momentarily caught off guard by how attractive he was when he did that. "I was wondering when I'd run into you. I missed you," he continued as he moved closer. I instinctively stepped back, causing his smile to falter. "Are you not happy to see me?"

"Let's get one thing clear, Theo," I began. "I don't like you and I don't trust you, so please just stay away from me."

"Joey _—_ "

"Don't," I cut him off. "Don't act like you know me."

"But I do," Theo said, his gaze turning gentle.

"A lot has happened since you've been gone, Theo. You have no idea what we've been through," I told him. "You weren't there."

Recognition flickered in Theo's green eyes. "You're still mad that I left," he deduced.

I felt my defenses start to waver, but I needed to keep it together. I couldn't be vulnerable in front of him. "I'm not doing this right now," I said softly. "I don't trust you, that's the point."

I left the conversation drop there and brushed past him into the locker room, where I was relieved to find Stiles a few rows in, typing away on his phone.

He looked up as I approached him and frowned at the expression on my face, immediately tucking his phone into his pocket. "Hey, what's wrong?"

I swallowed against the unexpected burning sensation in my throat. "Nothing _—_ I, um, just talked to Theo." I was trying to keep my emotions in check, but I knew Stiles could see right through me.

"What?" He walked closer to me, putting his hands on my shoulders so I would look at him. "Joey, you need to stay away from him, okay? Don't ever be alone with him again. We can't trust him."

I nodded solemnly. "I know, Stiles," I said.

We both fell silent for a moment and I could see the gears turning in Stiles' head as he stared at me.

"What?" I questioned.

Stiles quirked a mischievous eyebrow. "Feel like doing a little detective work?"

* * *

After the last bell of the day, I apprehensively trekked through the halls toward the Administration Office, where Stiles was pacing back and forth in a way that wasn't exactly inconspicuous.

"I can't believe I agreed to this." I shook my head as I reached him.

Stiles stopped his movements, but didn't acknowledge my statement with anything other than a slight eye roll. "Did you bring it?" he asked impatiently.

Instead of responding, I pulled a lock pick from my purse and reluctantly placed it in Stiles' waiting, open palm.

He smiled sweetly at me. "Thank you very much."

I shot him an unamused look as he turned and kneeled down to work on the lock.

The door was open within seconds.

Stiles stood and gestured inside the office. "Go ahead."

My eyes widened. "You want _me_ to get it?"

"Obviously."

"Why can't I stand watch?"

"Because I'm better at providing a distraction on the spot."

Well, I couldn't argue with that.

Making sure to give Stiles an unhappy glare, I hesitantly entered the room and flicked on the lights.

"Student records are over there," Stiles said, nodding toward the filing cabinet on the far left side of the office. "Transfer students are kept separate from the rest. Try the top one first."

Not bothering to question how he had this knowledge, I followed Stiles' instructions and pulled open the first metal drawer. I ran my finger over the tabs of the files, arranged alphabetically, searching for Raeken. I went right to the "R" section and found it right away, but paused when I noticed a familiar name a bit further below Theo's.

 _Romero, Hayden_.

I couldn't stop myself from wondering what was inside, and just for a second, I actually thought about finding out. Liam told me everything _—_ and I told _him_ everything _—_ but he didn't want to talk about Hayden. There was history between them, a reason behind why they didn't like each other, and Liam didn't want me to know what it was. It reminded me too much of last year, when he would shut me out.

Things had been so good, we'd both been so happy the last couple of months, and I was worried I was going to lose that.

"Did you find it?" Stiles called from the doorway, snapping me back to reality.

I shook my thoughts away and quickly slid Theo's file out. "Yeah, I got it," I told him.

I flipped open the manila folder and set it down on the secretary's desk, sifting through the papers for anything that could be of use.

His transfer form caught my eye.

"Stiles, do you still have that speeding ticket you found?" I asked.

Catching on, Stiles quickly dug the folded copy from his back pocket and abandoned his watch post as he hurried over to me, flattening the ticket out beside the transfer form.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Notice anything?"

"The signatures," he muttered as he continued to examine them. "They're different."

* * *

Stiles burst through the library doors, headed straight for the table where Scott, Kira, and Malia had set up to do homework. I followed after him and stood with my arms crossed as Stiles put the papers down on the table without warning, grabbing their attention.

Scott raised an eyebrow. "So, you found something?"

"Did you doubt he would?" I joked, earning myself a mild glare from Stiles.

"Another signature," he told them. Stiles pointed to the copy of the speeding ticket first. "This is Theo's dad's signature on a speeding ticket from eight years ago."

"And this," I began, gesturing to the green paper. "Is his dad's signature on a transfer form to Beacon Hills High School from just a few days ago."

Kira glanced between us. "How did you get his transfer form?"

"Did you break into the Administration Office?" Scott asked knowingly, his gaze focused on Stiles.

"No, I did not break into the Administration Office," Stiles denied. Scott, Kira, and Malia stared at him, clearly not convinced, and he faltered. "Okay, Joey broke into the Administration Office. I stood watch." My brother looked at me with an expression of amused disbelief and I instantly opened my mouth to protest, but Stiles continued. "Can we just focus on the signatures, please? They're different."

I watched as the three leaned in slightly to look at the papers.

"They're sort of different," Malia agreed with a small nod, but I could tell she wasn't totally swayed.

"They're _completely_ different," Stiles argued with conviction. "Come on, look, the garlands don't even match; the undulations of the sinuous stroke _—_ totally off _—_ and look at this," he continued, tracing the signature with the tip of his finger. "Perfect example of the criminal tremor."

I furrowed my eyebrows at him in confusion. He'd lost me somewhere between undulations and criminal tremor.

"So, now Theo is Theo, but his parents . . . aren't his parents?" Kira attempted to clarify.

"Someone's not someone," Stiles said. "And when I figure out who that someone really is, someone's in big trouble."

"But no one's done anything wrong," Scott countered.

" _Yet_ ," Stiles emphasized. "If Theo's parents are both psychotic killers, then obviously we should not trust him, right?"

"My parents are Peter and The Desert Wolf," Malia stated.

Fair point.

"Okay," Stiles sighed, rubbing his forehead in frustration. "It's fine. Joey and I will just figure this thing out ourselves." He hastily gathered up the papers and used them to point at Scott, Kira, and Malia. "We don't need you, or you, or you." He then grabbed me by the elbow and pushed me in front of him as he promptly turned away from the table, heading for the exit. "We don't need anyone!"

"Stiles, I don't know how else we're going to prove anything," I said as he continued to drag me out into the parking lot, in the direction of the jeep.

I was beginning to doubt myself and my instincts. What if I was wrong about Theo?

"Simple," Stiles answered, going around to the driver's side. "We're going to catch him in the act."

He climbed inside and slammed the door after him, leaving no room for argument. With a sigh, I hauled myself into the passenger seat and sat back as Stiles started up the engine, resigned to the fact that this was probably going to be a long day.

"What's a criminal tremor?"

Stiles and I both jumped off our seats, startled by the unexpected voice, and turned toward the backseat. Liam sat there, chewing on his bottom lip and looking innocent as ever as his blue eyes flickered between us.

"Doesn't matter," Stiles snapped, putting the jeep in reverse and whipping out of his parking spot.

I held onto my door to keep from being thrown against it as the tires squealed against the pavement and Stiles sped off high school grounds.

It was definitely going to be a long day.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** IT'S BEEN SO LONG I'M SO SORRY. I'm a freshmen in college in my first semester and I'm literally terrible at time management. I either work too much until I'm all burned out or I'm super lazy and do nothing but re-watch TVD. There is no in between.

To think I wanted to have the first half of this finished by the season six premiere . . . but I digress. I know this chapter didn't really have a lot of Jiam, but as I've said before, I've tried to make Joey more than just a love interest for Liam. In this story, she was there before Liam, and I think it's important to show her relationship and interactions with other people.

Anyway, I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter & let me know what you think! I want to thank all of you readers, you're all so awesome and patient and loyal and leave the sweetest reviews. I would be nowhere without your support and I'm forever grateful. I'll make sure to have the next chapter up very soon :)

Some end of chapter questions:

Why do you think Joey is so mad at Theo?  
Thoughts on Hayden and Joey? Stiles and Joey?  
Where do you think the story will go from here?


	5. Tension Rising

**CHAPTER FIVE:**  
 _tension rising_

* * *

I had imagined my first day of sophomore year going much differently.

I'd done everything right; covered all my bases in preparation. I'd stocked up on school supplies, completed all my summer reading assignments, and had stocked her closet full of a new wardrobe Lydia approved of. I'd imagined catching up with Mason, branching out a bit to make friends my own age, picking out a quirky John Green book from the library, and maybe an after school ice cream date with Liam.

I _hadn't_ imagined avoiding Mason, meeting a girl from Liam's past, seeing Theo again, or spending my entire night tracking his every move.

As expected, Theo hadn't done anything out of the ordinary or incriminating in the past three hours we'd spent camped outside his house, but his normal teenage male behavior did nothing to ease Stiles' suspicions.

I still had my reservations about Theo, and my gut told me not to trust him, but we'd been following him through the woods for the past half hour and I wasn't dressed for a midnight hike through the preserve. I was so cold my teeth were starting to chatter and I wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed with a cup of hot chocolate.

Theo parked his car and the three of us hid behind some shrubbery nearby as he exited the SUV. I stood between Stiles and Liam as we watched Theo walk around the car to grab something from the back. I couldn't decipher what the object was from our current distance.

"I told you he was up to something," Stiles whispered as Theo started to head deeper into the preserve.

"We just spent three hours watching this dude play video games in his bedroom," Liam responded in a similarly hushed voice. "He better be out here covering up a mass murder."

I had to silently agree.

"Let's find out," Stiles said.

With that, our mission to catch Theo in the act commenced once more, and we continued to follow him.

Stiles was leading the way — which was ironic since he was the least coordinated of all of us — with Liam directing him from behind, and me trailing after him. We travelled through the forest in silence, trying to be as quiet as possible to keep our presence undetected. I could barely see five feet in front of me, so I hugged myself in a feeble attempt to keep the cold away and stayed close to Liam, doing my best not to trip over anything.

My eyes wandered our surroundings before looking above me, where the moonlight filtered through the canopy of trees. I appreciated how pretty it was, but the preserve left me with an uneasy feeling anymore. I remembered the first night I'd ever come out here with Scott and Stiles, when we'd foolishly been searching for a dead body and Scott was bitten by Peter.

I shivered at the memory and tried to push the thought away. Instead, I wondered how on earth I was going to get my shoes clean after trekking through all the mud on the ground.

"Do you still have his scent?" Stiles asked.

"Don't need it," Liam responded, gesturing to the sneaker tracks imprinted on the forest floor.

We'd only gone a few more feet when I noticed Liam was distracted. He slowed down, hesitation evident on his face.

My eyebrows furrowed and I touched his arm. "What's wrong?"

"I forgot, I-I was supposed to meet Mason at the school gym," Liam said, looking at me with helpless eyes. Realization struck me as I recalled Mason telling me of the plans he'd made with my boyfriend tonight. I was actually meant to pick them up after they'd finished working out and then we were all going to study at Liam's for an upcoming history quiz. I ran a hand through my hair in distress, feeling like a terrible friend.

"Why didn't you just tell him?" Stiles questioned, unconcerned.

I could tell Liam was anxious by the way he dug his hands into the pockets of his sweatshirt. "Tell him what?"

"Anything," Stiles responded, like it was as simple as that.

"I can't just tell him anything."

"Why not?"

"Because we haven't told him everything," I answered.

Stiles cast a confused look between me and Liam. "Still? We said it was okay."

"Yeah, I know, but it's not that easy," Liam said, dropping his gaze to the ground and becoming more worked up by the second. I kept my hand on his arm, hoping to console him with my touch instead of my words. I hadn't realized how much Liam was truly struggling with this. He was terrified of losing his best friend. "It's a lot to accept."

"He watched my dad blow up a berserker with a landmine. I think the groundwork has been pretty thoroughly laid for acceptance," Stiles reassured him. I nodded in agreement, thinking about all the people we kept in the dark for so long, and their reactions when they finally knew about the supernatural. "Scott, Joey, and I . . . we've have been through this, okay? More than once. It's just—it's always better when they know."

Stiles hesitated a moment before he turned to continue on our quest to follow Theo.

I looked at Liam, who had pulled out his phone. "Hey," I said softly, touching his face. His gaze met mine, his blue eyes shining like crystals in the moonlight. "I'll help you. We can tell him together."

Liam nodded, but I could still see he was worried. I gave him a light kiss on the cheek before I left him to catch up with Stiles. After a moment or two, I heard Liam start to follow.

"But what if he freaks out?" Stiles glanced over at me with an exasperated expression at the sound of Liam's insistent voice, exhausted with the subject. "What if he doesn't want to talk to me? What if he tries to stab me with something silver? What if—"

Liam's voice cut off, followed by a loud rustling sound. Stiles and I both stopped abruptly, sharing a confused look before turning around. There was no sign of Liam, only a strange circular irregularity in the leaves.

Stiles and I hurried over to the edge of the hole and peered inside to be greeted by the sight of Liam brushing dirt from his light brown hair.

"What the hell are you doing?" Stiles questioned accusingly. Liam stared up at him incredulously and shrugged his shoulders the slightest bit. He obviously hadn't fallen in on purpose, but Stiles didn't seem too concerned either way. "I swear—" he stopped himself as he glanced over my shoulder. "There he is." His voice dropped to a whisper, though it probably didn't matter at this point. In my opinion, Theo was pretty bad at the werewolf thing if he still didn't know we were tailing him. "Hurry up, stop screwing around."

Stiles raced off toward a small stream a few yards away and I shook my head before I turned back to Liam. I watched as he pulled his phone from the muddy floor of the hole and wiped at the screen. He frowned down at it and I guessed he was reading messages from Mason.

Liam switched over to his flashlight application, lighting up his surroundings. He hesitated a moment, but I couldn't see why.

"Liam, what is it?" I asked, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear.

His gaze snapped up to meet mine. "Nothing," he dismissed, before standing and hopping out. I smiled at him; he was really coming into his abilities. "What?" he questioned as he got to his feet.

"Nothing," I mimicked him, earning myself a look. "Come on."

We eventually found Stiles, hiding behind a thick tree branch that was tucked into more bushes. He motioned for us to stay quiet as we approached him and I understood why as I noticed Theo just ahead on a bridge. His back was to us and his shoulders were a little hunched as he stood at the wooden railing.

"Try to get his scent," Stiles whispered. He only gave Liam a moment. "Get anything?"

"Soap," Liam answered quietly. "It's nice—it smells good."

I bowed my head and rolled my lips into my mouth to keep myself from laughing.

Stiles wasn't as amused. "Not his soap," he said. "His emotional state. Chemosignals, remember?"

"Oh—yeah. Okay." Liam nodded before trying to read Theo one more time. He hesitated, his eyebrows furrowing faintly. "He's sad."

"He's sad?" I questioned quietly, confused.

"Not just sad. It's more like . . . grief," Liam explained uncertainly.

"Grief?" Stiles echoed, just as baffled as me. Stumped by this information, we all continued to observe Theo in silence.

At a closer range, we could see what Theo had taken from his car; it was a package of some sort. He opened it up and pulled out a white flower – I thought it looked like a Lily, but I wasn't sure. He studied the flower for a moment, feeling the petals, before he held it out and dropped it into the water.

"Oh my God," Stiles squeaked from beside me, turning away. "Go, we have to go," he muttered, grabbing me and Liam by the shoulders to nudge us forward.

"What, why?" Liam questioned.

"Just go," Stiles said as he continued to steer us away from Theo.

Stiles barreled through the preserve, his longer legs carrying him faster than mine did me. I nearly had to jog to keep up with him and Liam as they kept a steady, brisk pace.

"That's the bridge where they found his sister," Stiles explained once he thought we were far enough away from Theo.

"What sister?" Liam and I asked at the same time.

"The one who got lost and died from exposure," Stiles said. "He's leaving a flower for her."

"That doesn't sound evil," Liam told him.

"I _know_."

Stiles came to an abrupt stop, followed by Liam, and I froze just about an inch from running into his back. Confused, I shot a glance between them before following their gazes upward. My's eyes widened in surprise, my mouth falling slightly agape as I stared at Theo Raeken, who stood on a tree branch high above us.

Scratch what I said about him being a bad werewolf.

I felt Liam's hand wrap around my elbow and pull me slightly behind him as Theo leaped down to the ground with little effort.

Double scratch what I said.

I suddenly wished I hadn't left my purse in the jeep — my handheld crossbow pointed at Theo's jugular would have made me feel a lot better right now.

I watched with apprehension as Theo straightened up to his full height, a little half smile pulling at the edges of his lips. "What are you guys doing?"

He made the mistake of stepping closer and Liam let out a low growl in warning, taking a more protective stance in front of both me and Stiles.

"Woah." Theo held his hands up in surrender, his smile twitching with amusement. "Why do I get the feeling this kid's tougher than he looks?"

I narrowed my eyes at him in both distrust and distaste.

Mostly distaste.

"Only when we let him off his leash," Stiles said, hovering a hand over Liam's chest just in case he decided to lunge.

Theo's eyebrows furrowed. "Stiles, we were in little league together," he reminded him, then turned his gaze on me. "And Joey,"—I felt Liam tense as Theo addressed me—"we used to spend every day together. I remember sleeping on your bedroom floor during thunderstorms just because it made you feel better. Why are you both so suspicious of me?"

Feeling some of my hostility give way, I bit the inside of my cheek; an old nervous habit. I remembered everything Theo did for me and all the time we spent together growing up, but that was a different person. This Theo before me was different, and regardless, things just weren't the same anymore.

He left and circumstances changed.

"Because of these," Stiles eventually spoke up, pulling two pieces of paper — one white and one green — from his sweatshirt pocket. I immediately recognized them and my eyes widened in surprise. You're not supposed to show the suspect your evidence until you're sure he's guilty. Stiles handed them over to Theo, who slowly unfolded them and held them side by side. "One's a speeding ticket signed by your dad eight years ago, the other's a signature on a transfer form to Beacon High—they're different."

"Huh," Theo said as his eyes skimmed over both signatures. "Yeah, they . . . do look a little different."

"No, they're totally different," I spoke up, my tone more combative than I anticipated.

"Signed by two _different_ people," Stiles added.

"So, my dad's not my dad?" Theo asked in an amused tone, flashing that stupid lopsided grin he probably thought was charming. It was, but he didn't need to know that. "Like he's an imposter?"

"Something like that," Liam chimed in.

Theo folded up the papers with a slight sigh, his softened gaze falling on me, no doubt on purpose. He thought I was the weak link. "Who do you think I am?"

"We don't know yet," Stiles answered truthfully.

"Do you want me to give you a DNA sample or something?"

"No," Stiles said seriously. "I don't have anything from the fourth grade to match it to."

Theo's expression turned noticeably solemn once he realized Stiles wasn't joking.

He bowed his head, quiet for a moment, before he met Stiles' eyes once more. "You know, Stiles, I came back here for Scott," Theo began, and at that moment, Stiles looked like he would rather be doing literally anything else than listening to what he had to say. "But I also came back for you and Joey; someone like you both. Someone who's willing to walk into the woods in the middle of the night to protect their friends." Theo paused, shaking his head a bit. "I don't have anyone like that. Scott does . . . you all do. I know I'm in the right place. I'm meant to be here. I'm meant to be a part of this pack."

 _What a load of bull._

* * *

"Do you believe him?" Stiles asked in a quiet voice.

"No," I answered simply.

We were on our way back to the jeep and I couldn't have been more relieved. I was eager to go home, shower, and crawl into bed with my laptop to watch an episode or two of _The Vampire Diaries_ before I went to sleep. The day had been long and all I wanted to do was forget it. Forget Hayden, forget lying to Mason — and his shady comment about Brett — forget hiking through the woods, and most importantly, forget Theo.

Stiles and I walked side by side, our arms brushing every once and while. Liam lagged behind a few paces, most likely still worrying over how he was going to break the supernatural news to Mason. He'd planned to go to the school and tell him everything. I'd offered my assistance, but he insisted it was something he needed to do alone. I understood; Mason wasn't just Liam's best friend, he was one of the most important people in his life and this was about _their_ relationship.

"I don't either," Stiles spoke.

"Theo's always had a way with words," I commented. "If he wanted you to forgive him, or believe him, or trust him–,"

"Or make you feel better," Stiles said knowingly.

I nodded in agreement. "He always knew the right things to say," I continued. "I used to admire that about him, but now it just makes me sick to my stomach."

Stiles started laughing, and despite all the craziness that had happened tonight, I smiled along with him.

"Find anything?"

Both Stiles and I sobered up almost immediately, our surprised gazes falling on my brother. Leaning against his motorbike, he stood with his hands tucked in his pockets and an eyebrow raised expectantly.

"Nope," Stiles answered shortly, heading straight for the safety of his jeep, keys jingling in his hand.

"I-I fell in a hole," Liam offered with a tentative smile.

I bit back a small laugh, but neither Scott nor Stiles acknowledged him.

Stiles hopped into his vehicle, trying to make a hasty escape.

"It was the bridge where his sister died, wasn't it?" Scott asked knowingly, walking up beside the driver's side door of the jeep.

"Yes, it was—very embarrassing, so we're going to leave now," Stiles said. He turned the keys in the ignition and the engine stuttered, refusing to start. I bit my lip as Stiles grew agitated, cursing under his breath. I hadn't seen him like this for a while. "Liam," he said as he emerged from the jeep once more. "Do me a favor and get in the car, turn the ignition when I say."

Liam obediently climbed into the car and I moved to the side, making sure I was out of the way as Stiles came barreling around to the front. As he popped the hood, I walked over to the driver's side of the jeep and closed the door behind Liam once he was seated inside. I then my folded my arms across my chest and leaned back against the door, preparing myself for a possible blowout.

"Stiles?" Scott said in a questioning tone.

"Be with you in a sec," Stiles replied distractedly. "Try it," he then called to Liam.

Liam did as he was told, leaning forward to twist the keys, but the engine only continued to splutter before it died out with a clinking sound.

"Stiles," Scott repeated, his voice conveying they needed to talk.

" _Yes_ , okay." Stiles' cool composure snapped. "Liam, Joey, and I followed him out here. What do you want me to say, that I'm a stalker? That I'm crazy? Totally paranoid?" Stiles' voice raised significantly throughout his little outburst. "None of this is new information."

A small silence ensued, where he continued to toy with the machines under the jeep's hood.

"You're not going to at least try and give him the benefit of the doubt?" Scott asked.

"I give people the benefit of the doubt," Stiles defended lowly. "I've given a lot of benefit, to a lot of people."

Both Scott and I felt the weight behind his words.

"Like Derek?" Scott questioned calmly. "Kira? Liam?"

"Malia," I added softly.

Stiles glanced over at me and our gazes clashed for a moment before he half-heartedly began working on his jeep once more.

He let out a faint, tense sigh, knowing Scott had a point. "I was right about Peter," Stiles declared. "Try it again!" Liam turned the keys for a second time, but engine still wouldn't start, only fueling Stiles' turbulent state. "You know," he began, turning toward Scott. "I bet you still think there's something about him that can be saved."

"Maybe," Scott responded.

Instead of responding, Stiles released an exasperated breath. He was rapidly approaching his breaking point.

"Try it again!"

Liam twisted the keys, but the jeep refused to cooperate.

"Why can't you trust anyone?" Scott pressed.

" _Because you trust everyone_!" Stiles bellowed. His voice echoed in the night and birds scattered from the canopy of trees above us as he slammed his fist down against the engine with as much force as humanly allowed.

Liam and I both jumped.

"Are you okay?" Scott questioned worriedly, but with caution in his voice.

"I'm fine," Stiles told him.

"You could have broken it," I whispered, walking around to the front of the jeep.

"She's right," Scott agreed.

"It's not broken," Stiles argued, but his tone was softer.

"Let me see it," Scott said.

"I'm fine," Stiles repeated stubbornly.

"Stiles," I said exasperatedly. "Just please let him look at it."

Stiles looked like he wanted to resist some more, but as Scott inched closer to him, he let out a defeated sigh and slowly moved his shaky hand toward him. Scott carefully cradled Stiles' hand in both of his and I watched as the familiar black veins traveled up Scott's arm, disappearing under the sleeve of his shirt.

After my brother gently let go, Stiles wiggled and stretched his fingers, testing out how his hand felt. All his movements seemed normal and he didn't wince in pain, so I assumed Scott had successfully taken away all the pain.

The jeep suddenly rumbled to life, starting me as the headlights flickered on, shining on the three of us like a spotlight.

I glanced over at Scott. "Can we go home now?"

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** TWO CHAPTERS IN ONE MONTH? Ha, it's definitely not as frequent as I used to upload, but it's a start. I'm really getting into this story again, making it much easier for me to write and I already have everything planned out so I'm super excited to keep rolling this out for you all.

So, we had more Theo in this chapter, more Liam and Joey (bless their hearts), and the big scene between Scott and Stiles, which was honestly really hard to write. I feel like it just doesn't give the same effect in writing as it does on the television, but I am pleased with how it turned out.

I know Joey really has that whole "inner monologue" thing going on in all these chapters, but it's essential to her development and growth as a character. Her sorting out her feelings and trying to make sense of what she feels is an important plot point. Also, sorry if you expected Joey to be there when Mason finds out Liam is a werewolf, but I just don't think she any reason to be. I don't want to try to force her into every scene that Liam is in and frankly, just because they're dating doesn't mean they have to spend every second together, ya feel?

Let me know what you thought of this chapter! Let me know your predictions and thoughts! I can't wait to get into these next few chapters, shit is going to hit the fan through episodes 3 (Dreamcatchers) and 4 (Condition Terminal), so I'm really going to work hard to crank out these chapters!


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